WO 01/66383 A1 discloses a steering wheel for motor vehicles having a device for activating an electric function group of a motor vehicle, in which one contact is mounted on an assembly of the steering wheel skeleton and the other contact located opposite is mounted on an assembly which is movable with respect to the steering wheel skeleton. The contact which is arranged on the movable assembly is spring-mounted and can therefore slide along the other contact when it is pressed down. Owing to the friction which occurs as a result of this, the contacts are cleaned of soiling and/or an oxide layer is removed from them.
One disadvantage of this arrangement is that the maximum travel of the self-cleaning process of the movable contact with respect to the corresponding contact corresponds to the displacement travel of the activation element in the direction of the corresponding contact after the two contacts are in contact with one another, assuming that the sprung contact carrier is arranged at an angle of 45° with respect to the direction of movement of the activation element. Therefore, if the activation device is moved on by a millimeter after the two contacts have been in contact with one another, the contacts also slide against one another by a millimeter. Although changing the abovementioned angle allows the sliding travel of the movable contact to be increased within certain limits, it remains small. When the displacement travel of the activating element is increased, there would be the further disadvantage that when the switch is activated by pressing down the airbag cover cap the dimensions of the gap between the latter and the steering wheel would have to be made larger.